beau monde

PRONUNCIATION:

(BO mond)

MEANING:

noun: The world of fashion; high society.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French, literally, fine world.

USAGE:

"The wealthy can be entertainingly absurd, as in Hannah Greig's enjoyable
account of the struggles of the Countess of Strafford to be accepted as
a leader of London's beau monde in the early 18th century."
John Mullan; Vex'd by Wallpaper; The Guardian (London, UK); Aug 18, 2007.